An instant later Claire, enveloped in a thick cloak, herself appeared
at the door, leaving Pompée outside as sentinel; then having satisfied
herself that she was in no danger of being seen, she knelt at one of
the prie-Dieus in the confessional.
"At last, madame," said Canolles, "at last you have taken pity upon me!"
"I could do no less, since you were ruining yourself," Claire replied;
it disturbed her peace of mind to tell even so harmless a falsehood as
that, at the tribunal of truth.
"I am to understand then, madame," said Canolles, "that I owe the favor
of your presence here to no other sentiment than compassion. Surely you
will agree that I was entitled to expect something more than that from
you."
"Let us speak seriously," said Claire, trying in vain to steady her
trembling voice, "and as we ought to speak in a holy place. You are
ruining yourself, I say again, by frequenting Monsieur Lavie's house,
who is the princess's sworn enemy. Yesterday Madame de Condé heard of
it from Monsieur de La Rochefoucauld, who knows everything, and she
said this, which alarmed me greatly:--
"'If we have to guard against plotting by our prisoners, we must be as
severe as we have been indulgent. Precarious situations demand decisive
measures; we are not only ready to take such measures, but resolved to
carry them out.'"
The viscountess's voice was under better control as she said this; she
had faith to believe that God would pardon the action in consideration
of the excuse; it was a sort of sop thrown to her conscience.
"I am not her Highness's knight, madame, but yours," said Canolles. "I
surrendered to you, to you alone; you know under what circumstances,
and on what conditions."
"I did not think," said Claire, "that any conditions were agreed on."
"Not by word of mouth, perhaps, but in the heart. Ah! madame, after
what you said to me, after the happiness you led me to anticipate,
after the hope you authorized me to entertain!--ah! madame, confess
that you have been very cruel."
"My friend," said Claire, "is it for you to reproach me because I cared
as much for your honor as for my own? And do you not understand without
forcing me to make the admission--surely you must divine that I have
suffered as much as yourself, yes, more than you, for I had not the
strength to bear my suffering. Listen to what I say, and may my words,
which come from the bottom of my heart, sink as deep into yours. My
friend, as I told you, I have suffered more keenly than you, because I
am haunted by a fear which you cannot have, knowing as you do that I
love you alone. In your enforced abode here, do you ever regret her who
is not here? In your dreams of the future, have you any hope of which I
am not a part?"
"Madame," said Canolles, "you appeal to my frankness, and I will speak
frankly to you. Yes, when you leave me to my sorrowful reflections;
when you leave me alone face to face with the past; when by your
absence you condemn me to wander among gambling-hells and brothels with
these beplumed idiots; when you turn your eyes away from me, or compel
me to pay so dearly for a word, a gesture, a glance, of which I may be
unworthy,--at such times I reproach myself bitterly because I did not
die in harness; I blame myself for capitulating; I suffer from regret,
and from remorse."
"Remorse?"
"Yes, madame, remorse; for as truly as God is upon that holy altar
before which I tell you that I love you, there is at this hour a woman,
a weeping, moaning woman, who would give her life for me, and yet she
must say to herself that I am either a dastard or a traitor."
"Oh! monsieur!--"
"It is so, madame! Did she not make me all that I am? Had not she my
oath to save her?"
"Well, but you did save her, or I am much mistaken."
"Yes, from the enemies who would have made her suffer physical torture,
but not from the despair which rends her heart, if she knows that it
was you to whom I surrendered."
Claire hung her head and sighed.
"Ah! you do not love me," said she.
Canolles answered her sigh with another.
"I have no wish to tempt you, monsieur," she continued; "I have no
wish to deprive you of a friend, whom I cannot hope to rival; and
yet, you know that I love you. I came here to ask you for your love,
your devoted, single-hearted love. I came to say to you: 'I am free,
here is my hand. I offer it to you because you have no rival in my
heart,--because I know no one who is superior to you.'"
"Ah! madame," cried Canolles, "you make me the happiest of men!"
"Nay, nay, monsieur," she rejoined, sadly, "you do not love me."
"I love you, I adore you; but I cannot describe what I have suffered
from your silence and your reserve."
"_Mon Dieu!_" exclaimed Claire, "is it impossible for you men to divine
anything that you are not told in words? Did you not understand that I
was unwilling to make you play a ridiculous rôle; that I would not give
people a pretext for believing that the surrender of Saint-Georges was
arranged between us beforehand? No, it was my intention that you should
be exchanged by the queen, or ransomed by me, when you would belong to
me without reserve. Alas! you could not wait."
"But now, madame, I will wait. One hour like this, one word from your
sweet voice to tell me that you love me, and I will wait hours, days,
years."
"You still love Mademoiselle de Lartigues!" said Madame de Cambes,
shaking her head.
"Madame," rejoined Canolles, "were I to say to you that I had not a
feeling of grateful friendship for her, I should lie to you; take me,
I pray you, with that feeling. I give you all the love that I have to
give, and that is much."
"Alas!" said Claire, "I know not if I ought to accept, for your words
prove that you possess a very noble, but also a very loving heart."
"Hear me," said Canolles, "I would die to spare you one tear, but
without a pang I cause her you name to weep incessantly. Poor woman!
she has many enemies, and they who do not know her, curse her. You have
only friends; they who know you not respect you, and they who know you
love you; judge, then, of the difference between these two sentiments,
one of which has its birth in my conscience, the other in my heart."
"Thanks, my friend. But perhaps your present impulse is due to my
presence, and you may be sorry for it hereafter. I implore you,
therefore, to consider my words carefully. I give you until to-morrow
to reply. If you wish to send any message to Mademoiselle de Lartigues,
if you wish to join her, you are free to do so, Canolles; I myself will
take you by the hand and lead you outside the walls of Bordeaux."
"Madame," replied Canolles, "it is useless to wait until to-morrow; I
say it with a burning heart, but a cool head. I love you, I love you
alone, I shall never love any other than you!"
"Ah! thanks, thanks, my love," cried Claire, giving him her hand. "My
hand and my heart alike are yours."
Canolles seized her hand and covered it with kisses.
"Pompée signals to me that it is time to go," said Claire. "Doubtless
they are about to close the church. Adieu, my love, or rather, au
revoir. To-morrow you shall know what I intend to do for you, that is
to say, for us. To-morrow you will be happy, for I shall be happy."
Unable to control the impulse which drew her toward him, she put his
hand to her lips, kissed the ends of his fingers, and glided away,
leaving Canolles as happy as the angels, whose heavenly voices seemed
to find an echo in his heart.